Almost all of my life, I’ve craved for what is in the ether and unknown.

You can totally say that I am a dreamer.

I loved to live in my imagination as a child, wandering the thick woods around my home seeing the landscape as a whole village.

As a young adult, I considered myself a helpless romantic. Dropping out of college to wander and travel, I craved the journey of the unknown.

Then, as a post college (I did go back!) career woman, I went straight into life as a freelancer. I loved not being tied to a rigid schedule. I enjoyed that feeling of freedom.

Today, I’m a mama to a beautiful boy. I’m living my greatest dream right now.

For this dreamer, the biggest challenge that I experience as a new mom is making each day meaningful + to stay present.

Here’s the thing I’ve realized lately: that all of my dreaming trained me to stop being in the present moment.

AND, since my in-the-moment muscle is a bit weak from a life of curiosity of what is out there in the world, I feel the pain of it strengthening that new staying present muscle as a mama.

This is like any good workout that trains your weakened muscles–it takes practice and persistence to get stronger.

Doing so takes a bit of effort and direction, but you’ve got this dear one. I know you, and you are full of infinite potential. #truth

Here are mental exercises on how I continue to be a dreamer and stay present:

I pause and think of what is going good. I say it out loud to my husband, write it down, or let it be a thought that I linger on.

I take a mental photo. I try to remember the way my baby looks when the sun shines on his gorgeous face, or the way his babbles sound as he plays on the floor.

I write one line of something I want to remember from the day. A walk with a friend. The delicious dinner I had with my family. A phone call with my Mom where my son coos into the phone at her voice. I folded two loads of laundry.
I have two ways that I write down the moment, either in my 5 year mama journal or by jotting something down on a sheet of paper and putting it in my memory jar.

I wish toward the future. Given my present life, I look towards the future not in a escapist way, but in an empowering what do I want from my life way. I wish for certain things for me, for my son, for my entire family.

Last, but not least, I say thank you. For me, this is a thank you to God. I thank God for my life, for the mysterious struggles, for the limitless joy, for the beautiful babe in my arms, for the love that surrounds me.

Tell me, how do you stay present in your life while dreaming of your future? Has this been a struggle for you, too?

Dream on, dear one. Dream on.

R o s e